It’s been 10 months and counting since Dior has had a creative director at the helm of its ready-to-wear and couture collections. John Galliano was abruptly fired in March after he was caught on video making anti-Semitic slurs, and the collections have been designed by the house team since then. Meanwhile, nearly every major designer working today has been rumored to be in the running to be his replacement, including Riccardo Tisci, Sarah Burton, Alexander Wang and Marc Jacobs (who recently told Vogue magazine he turned it down). So who is going to take the job? Women’s Wear Daily reported last month that Dior was closing in on Raf Simons. The Belgian designer at the helm of Jil Sander would certainly be an inspired choice. His modern interpretations of couture shapes, in high-voltage colors, have made the Jil Sander runway collections among the most influential in recent seasons. Pictured is a look from the Jil Sander spring 2011 collection designed by Raf Simons. (Olivier Morin / AFP / Getty Images)
Stealth wealth. Fashion gaming. Elsa Schiaparelli. Raf Simons. What else? Here’s a list of stylish people, trends and ideas to pay attention to in 2012. --Booth Moore Los Angeles Times Fashion Critic
The momentum for Brazil as an emerging luxury market has been building for some time now. And in 2012, 30 high-end brands are set to open stores there, according to Forbes magazine, including Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi. With the debt crisis continuing to dog Europe, that makes Brazil a bright spot for fashion. When luxury brands started looking to China for business opportunities, designers also looked there for inspiration. Maybe we’ll see the enthusiasm for Brazil turning up on the runway too. Samba style anyone? Pictured is a Brazilian Samba dancer. (Dario Lopez-Mills / AP photo)
It was almost as if designers were trying to will optimism back into shoppers’ mind-sets (and wallets) with the spring 2012 collections, which were awash with upbeat color (Roksanda Ilincic, Derek Lam), prints (Diane von Furstenberg, Altuzarra) and ethereal pearlescence (Chanel, The Row). Call it feel-good fashion. Pictured is a look from the Altuzarra spring 2012 runway. (Arun Nevader / Getty Images)
